Spartacus Gods Of The Arena Preview: Episode 6 - The Bitter End

Will the Gods of the Arena finale be a spectacle the likes of which the gods themselves have never witnessed? I don’t know about that but judging by this promo, something big is in the works!

Before we get to the finale teaser, how about last night’s episode? Anyone else not craving honey in their wine? Lucretia’s true colors came out last night when she revealed to Titus that she’d been poisoning him. We knew Lucretia was driven but seeing her pour poisoned wine down her father-in-law’s throat was hardcore. RIP Titus. While murder may have been a bit extreme, Lucretia made a fair argument about the man’s effect on his son.

Speaking of Lucretia’s ambition, it was interesting to see that her relationship with Crixus was born not from lust but a desire to have children. Apparently, his people are known to have extra-fertile sperm. The look of shame and discomfort on Lucretia’s face after she ordered Crixus to get his thrust on was unexpected, given how she acts with him in Blood and Sand.

Blood and Wine
Back to the body count, Titus wasn’t the only person to suffer the effects of the poisoned wine. While Lucretia was busy watching Titus cough blood, Melitta, who went to visit Gannicus to say goodbye Spartacus-style (which is to say, to give in to temptation and engage in a bit of sexy-time in his cell), took some of the wine with her, not knowing it was laced with poison. Gannicus, still brooding over being rejected by Melitta earlier and knowing he was being sold to Tullius, declined the wine, but not Melitta’s advances. Unfortunately for both of them, they never got past first-base as the poison took effect and totally killed the mood.

Melitta’s death involved choking on her own blood, which left her looking very similar to the version of herself we saw in the dream-turned-nightmare she had about Oenomaus finding her and Gannicus together. While Gannicus lives, Melitta is dead and so far, Oenomaus doesn’t know where she was when it happened. If everyone obeys Lucretia’s orders, he won’t ever find out, but I wouldn’t put it past Lucretia to give up the information if it served her own purposes.

BFFs
Diona finally broke down to Naevia, and instead of continuing to verbally lash out to her best friend, expressed a wish to die the next time she’s forced to have sex. Naevia helped her friend by stealing money (or something of value in a little bag, anyway) and telling her to leave. Diona told Naevia she’d see her again some day. If we don’t see her in the finale (which would probably mean her escape attempt failed), perhaps she’ll reappear some time in Season 2 of Blood and Sand.

Ashur vs. Dagan
Ashur found himself in a bit of a pickle after Dagan, fresh from being forced to lay with a man, revealed that he’s learning the language and won’t require Ashur’s assistance in the future. Realizing that not only will he not have Dagan to hide behind anymore, but that the man is out for him, Ashur took advantage of a brief moment of mercy during a fight and took Dagan down, effectively blinding him in one eye. It was a cheap shot, to say the least but we’ve come to learn that that’s Ashur’s means of survival. He’s not a big guy or the best fighter, but he’s not helpless.

Finale
Now for what’s to come. Here’s the preview that aired after last night’s episode. From the looks of it, we’re in for a big arena show. How’s it all going to end? Will Gannicus really be sold or will he not make it out alive? We have a week to speculate!